Allen Ostrander
METHOD FOR
BASS TROMBONE
and F attachment for Tenor Trombone
by
Allen Ostrander
The NewYork Philharmonic
Orchestra
KI
=
517To Walter Lilleback
FOREWORD
Due to a lack of published material for Bass Trombone, many performers are practically self taught as regards
use of the thumb valve. This treatise and method of instruction explains the various adjustments of the valve mechanism
‘and the reasons for making each adjustment. The altered positions are treated progressivly with exercises designed to
show the location of the altered position in relation to regular trombone positions.
It is assumed that a student studying this book has.at least mastered the requirements of any standard method
for Tenor Trombone.
The studies contained herein were designed to demonstrate the actual difficulties for the thumb valve as may be
found in the bass trombone parts of the standard symphonic repertoire.
PART I
The F Valve
‘The mechanism should be adjusted so that 4th line F in the 1st position tunes with the same F but with valve
down and slide still in 1st position, This is the most practical adjustment of the valve mechanism, although it has its
limitations in that low C below the staff is sharp. and there is no low B. PART II explains and demonstrates an adjust-
ment of the mechanism to get the low C in tune and PART IIf deals with the so-called “E” valve, Everything in Part I
may be played on a Tenor Trombone with F attachment as well as on a Bass Trombone.
CHART OF POSITIONS WITH MECHANISM ADJUSTED TO GET F IN FIRST POSITION
=
= = 3 vo =
bai bat 451 bel bz
+t—4— 14 - rae
| '
! 1
' '
+ }
cS 1 |
u 2i 3I 4 5 61 7
1st position is slide closed, Most Bass Trombones have spring bumpers i
the spring to get the low F in tune
the slide, You may have to push in on
b 2nd position is about an inch beyond the regular 2nd. The complete set of harmonics is possible, but I only
show the notes which I have actually used to advantage in orchestra,
b 3rd position is approximately 2%4 inches beyond regular 3rd. Even though it is about % of the way between
3rd and 4th, think of it as a form of third position,
Sth position is about an inch short of regular 5th.
b 6th position is an inch or so beyond 6th.
b 7th position is as far as you can reach and it will still be sharp, (Part II of this book explains an adjustment of
the mechanism which permits of a low C in tune with other positions altered accordingly.)
naseAdjust the mechanism so that fourth line F in 1st position tunes with the same F, but with the valve down and
slide still in 1st position
v over a note means to use the valve.
vovvvovvvvyvy vy vow
PP Pe PPT Peper prereset = leer Prrrrierrrersrssse Sa
: SOE Eee er et == EEE EES Ferree
Keep the slidein Ist position’ SS rs
voy oy vy ye ete Tae
Dapper ereriprerrerererr a= ie rererr
ZSERER ERE CERES
oP Tt rr
Play both tongued and slurred. Use valve for all C’s and F's
He
Play in various dynamics with evenness of register. Attack neatly, hold correct valuation, and round the end of
each tone. Make all notes alike, not only in intensity, but in tone quality.
==
Nase=120 Allegro deciso (Use valve for all low C's) ft
tf mf f mf =
— orn f. at a
Ste fe
Last time slight rit
Lf
t if
E and B in the Flat 2nd Position
Place the stirle approximately one inch beyond the regular 2nd position, The fol-
lowing notes are also possible in this position, The two lower notes are used frequently.
‘The others are used rarely. ‘enharmonic
Be careful of note values. Make a slight lapse between notes, Round off your tones. Try to maintain the same
tone quality and style throughout, Relax the right arm and wrist
Moderato ;
™p (Use valve for B&G)
Play slowly and smoothly. Relax your right arm. Use valve for all low B's.
N43s2Round the end of each tone, Make your spacings between notes alike, Whether you start forte or piano, maintain
the same level of intensity throughout
6 v
4
Allegro (Play all C's & B's with valve.) 6
St
f poco a poco dim
NaseAllegro risoluto
SF Play all low C's
3
and B's with valve unless otherwise marked.
oP
Eb and Bb in the Flat 3rd Position
Place the slide about 2% inches beyond the regular 3rd position, or about % of the way to the 4th position. You
will note that this is so far beyond the regular 3rd position that it is actually nearer the 41h, However, think in terms of
flat 3rd position for two reasons. FIRSTLY : You are used to thinking of all Eh’s on a Tenor Trombone in terms of 3rd
position, SECONDLY : You will find that Part II of this book explains and demonstrates an adjustment of the valve
mechanism used primarily to get low C below the staff in tune and which brings low Eb
below the staff to a regular 3rd position. The following notes are possible in the flat 3rd
position. The two lower notes are used frequently, the others are used rarely, if at all.
63
oy oy voy oyvioy ah ot
(Play both tongued and slurred.)
ba
fhe
Use the valve when marked and only when marked, The triplet exercice demonstrates a very common use of Bb
in the flat 3rd position. Note that it is in a passage consisting of Ab, Bh, C, and Dp in succession. This will occur most
frequently in the keys of Ab and Db.
1 434 bs
ba 6 ba ba 6 2903 ¥
2
(Play both tongued and slurred.)
(Use valve for all Bb 's & B's)
NassStaccato
Round the ends of the tones. Space the notes well, but no matter how fast you play there must be enough tone to
‘establish pitch. Maintain a steady volume. No crescendo or decrescendo,
v6 x a 6
4&
sempre stace.
Lebhaft (tively)
Play all low B’s with valve, except the one which is marked 7th position. Be sure to use the valve for the Ad's
that are so marked and for all low E's.
was,D and A in the Sharp 5th Position
Place the slide about one inch toward you from the regular “Sth position, The fol-
lowing notes are possible in this position, The two lower notes are frequently used, the
others are used rarely, if at all.
a #5 45
2h x as y x vy ete
(Play both tongued and slurred.)
a a5
ete a vee
Play slowly qs marked. Make the A’s intonations match each other.
? te
2s zg 5s vn vos 4
2Use valve as marked. Note the conditions under which you feel it advantageous to play B and C with valve, or
A with valve.
MODELS
a>
Ghort chunks of tone)
NaasLegato
Use a soft, short, relaxed stroke of the tongue. The tone must keep flowing, yet there will be a slight lapse between
tones due to the tongueing.
— ee
a
repeat ad lib,
‘When moving the slide, have the right arm and wrist relaxed. Move the slide moderately fast, but with a very
smooth motion without jerkiness.
—_—
repeat ail lib
Play the following glissandi, No circus smears! Play softly. Relax the right arm, Watch your slide and see that
it moves back and forth smoothly with a flowing motion, Repeat ad lib. Keep the slide in continual motion.
Moderato
I=
ame
355ze i=
se =
Now use the soft stroke of the tongue on the following notes. Use the same relaxed, flowing motion of the slide
as when you played the glissandi. In the following exercise the slide is continually moving. Use the soft stroke of the
tongue as you go by each position. Do not play too slowly, or there will be glissandi between each stroke of the tongue.
‘The object of the following exercise is to get a relaxed, smooth control of the slide. When playing slowly in legato, one
‘must naturally stop the slide for each note.
5: a
——— —— eee
(Play slowly and smoothly.) Semi-legato has a lightly greater lapse than legato.
Use more tongue.
Moderato_semplice
P (Ose valve for all low B's)
SS ae is eee
= mp tempo
poco rit Pirie aaMtato
=
P Soeeeniceseee Pmaanhstahe eueeenA ss ececceceeeeaaas
es ye —
ree: _
Pee rit
Na3s2‘molto eres
Db and Ab in the Flat 6th Position
Place the slide about one inch beyond the regular 6th position. The following notes,
are also possible in this position. The lowest note is frequently used, the Ab occasionally;
the others, rarely, if at all,
a '$
ete vo s vy ete
(Play both tongued and slurred.)
fears » v_ete
Nans212
Moderato
bey 2g Z ¥
imp gis. eliss. bliss
o bs
mp
“D.C. al Bo Coda
__Andantino
mp mp
(On a Tenor Troiabone the positions become farther apart as you extend the slide. In other words, you move the
slide farther between 6th and 7th positions than between 1st and 2nd, On a Bass Trombone, when using the valve, this
space between positions becomes even greater. The positions when using the valve which have been demonstrated so far
are: 1st, flat 2nd, flat 3rd, sharp 5th, and flat 6th. In low register these add low F, E, Ep, D, and Dp. Since the low
Dp is in a lowered 6th position, it will be readily understood that a low C will necessitate an extremely lowered 7th
position, Actually the slide is not long enough to get it in time. However, by using as flat a 7th position as possible, the
low C, even though slightly sharp, is usable in many passages.
Part II of this method explains and demonstrates an adjustment of the valve which permits of a low C in the
7th position, but unfortunately the advantages of an F and C in the first position are lost.
Low C
For the flat 7th position extend the slide as far as possible.
i ta 4
at Yom %
Use the low C with this “F" adjustment of the mechanism unless the note is very exposed, and the faulty inton-
ation will be heard. Do not attempt Part I of this method until you are thoroughly familiar with the positions used in
Part I; otherwise, the slight change in the manner in which the positions are altered will tend to be confusing.
fa
2 etc
2 7
v__etc. v_ete.
Nasa1B
With the exception of first line G in the flat 7th position as part of a glissando from G to C, I use only the low C
im this position.
Andante con moto —— oo
= fr——sf =
Schwungvoll (with_momentum) 8
%
P
%
Play all Bp’s with valve except the ones marked 1st
Unmerklich langsamer
Memperceptibly slower)
ee eee ip
Exercises for Thumb Coordination
ees
2
(Play both tongued and slurred.)
bay a2 2 2
Nasewe
aay
Nassee16
Practice the above exercises slurred as well as tongued. Strive towards an evenness of register, so that all tones are
of the same quality and intensity
Play the following exercise using the valve as demonstrated in the above exercises, In some cases you will have
1 choice of positions.
Progressive Studies
Use the valve, with slide in fist poston, for every Cand F, ===
Cantabile (d.- 48)
P —— = =—
P tf — Pp S—Pp oon grazia
Nasea
Pits mosso (J. = 58)
—— f =——P mf 2
maf P ap
pS Cantabile (J. = 48)
vit, P — — rubato
Play all low C’s with valve except those marked 6th, In the following study, be careful not to confuse valve
markings with accents,
Allegro moderato yt 5 4
2
nf Diy
poco @ poco. crest.
— "poco a poco crest. Lr Tt
mf poco a poco — crese.
Naasa.18
(Play all Ch’s with valve.)
Adagietto
poco a poco erese.
Allegretto
mp T
nf e f
P ft wf
Allegro ma non troppo
SF (Play all low C’s with valve unless otherwise marked.)
poco. cresc, molto crese.
Nasea
= ee
Somewhat tranquil, with quiet dignity and restrained emotion.
See eae ema
‘PP rubato
Pp «tempo
SS eee
poco a poco crese. ed accel mp a tempo
wasse20
Exeerpt from the Overture to William Tell
G. ROSSINI
Allegro d =108
1 phe ate 1
Naas21
Vivace —
Play slowly at first. Use the valve as marked
Presto .
cerhpre IF
Major and Minor Triads
(Play both tongued and slurred.)
x x eo y veety y
ais?22
Exercises for Valve Register
Play the following in various ways, from staccato to legato, and forte to piano, Strive to make the valve notes
“speak” the same as the others, thus acquiring evenness of register.
1
If you have trouble with the above exercises, go back and note the preceeding exercises which are marked “play
both tongued and slurred”, and practice them slurred.
Naas23
Allegro con brio |
nf’ poco erese tw poco @ poco crese
crese tf mp poco @ poco crese. St
Allegro moderato d= 108
oy =
St
eae ot
==
Molto pit allegro
1
Nos24
Allegro moderato d= 112
o
atest = ia
mf poco @ poco —decresc.
NasszExcerpt from the Hungarian March
1H, BERLIOZ
Allegro d .88 (Use valve for lo F and all low C's except those marked 6 th.)
— wT
Sehr lebhaft (very lively)
oa oa
—_ —~
Deny att ow Cs with wave) fut Palen or
(well held)
3 z
wad,
Nas26
rf wf
Excerpt from Les Préludes
F, LISZT
Andante maestoso
Nass27
Cantabile con aleuna licenza (Play all B4’s with valve except the two marked 7th.)
“—? ——= of
— 5
mf
poco a
abe
poco crese St
rit, atom rubai
Pp sbato
P mf
Play all C’s and B's with valve, Play all low F's with valve except those marked 6th.
Allegretto scherzando
Se boro rit, mp
6
n
"p
Nass28
Excerpt from Capriccio Espagnole
(No. 5, Fandango Asturiano)
N. RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
y 6 ze
Presto
Nass2dim
‘poco
— fF
poco @ poco dim
t
= sempre p
v7 mare.
29
passe
Allegro molto vivace
&4
Naas?
P t
Allegro (Play all low C's with valve unless otherwise marked.)
t
Maestoso
Poco agitato31
wf
Pedal Tones
Most players drop their lower jaw and push it slightly forward. The tongue tends to protrude between the teeth.
1 find, however, that if the tongue touches the lip it impairs my attack. Strive for a good attack, so that the note “speaks”
immediately at the stroke of the tongue. The most difficult thing is to slur down to a pedal tone. A soft stroke of the
tongue will help.
Energico J «138
15:
t P tf P Sf
Play slowly so that you can make all the notes “speak” alike, No sudden bulges.
NaasUse a sweeping type of slide motion between {stand 6th positions.
Be sure to get the D in sharp Sth and D and G in 4th in tune.
vy 16 1osy
Allegro moderato 8
16:
St
e Cantabile
of - ; ip
Naas2Excerpt from Symphonie Fantastique
(Fourth Movement)
H. BERLIOZ, Op.14
Allegretto non troppo (d =72)
Andante cantabile
P poco eres
pace — cress.
NassNaas
Allegro
of
s,
Pie
P possibile
sempre36
Extremes of Register
Take care not to shift the mouthpiece in order to get the high or low notes.
aye
a
¢ Fi 5
Play this slowly and deliberately. Strive for evenness of register so that you attain the same tone quality from top
to bottom. Pay particular attention when you cross from regular notes to valve notes and to pedal tones. Play this in
various dynamics from forte to piano,
Play with slide in 1st position,
Naas237
PART II
The Flat F Adjustment
‘This is what I call a flat F adjustment, In order to get a low C in tune more tubing must be added to the horn
Pull the slide in the F mechanism about an inch and a half so that E flat is in tune in a regular third position. This
makes low C in tune in the 7th position but the other valve positions must be altered differently than formerly. Note that
C and F will now be flat in first position and therefore are unusable.
THE FOLLOWING NOTES ARE USED WITH VALVE.
a i # ae
=
= ‘= = m=
Note that first tm shout an foout alt vay In a little a
Bosision with Hieh fron second, Sectneen fourth Hot sixthe ts
Toneer sable, anything nearer
x te fourth than fifth,
#21 3} fs! 7
fl
ie!
1
|
1
+
1
u 2 i
1 I
I
' 1
+ +
+ +
31 a 51 6
Eb (D#) and Bb in the 3rd Position
Ey and Bp (These will be used frequently.)
Play all E's, D's, and Bp’s with valve unless otherwise marked
*
at 3
o
E and B (Cb) in the Sharp 2nd Position
Bring the slide in toward you about the same amount as you extended it previously in getting B in flat 2nd position
with regular F adjustment.
Tv
z
>
Play all E’s and B's with valve unless otherwise marked.
Nass